From the Sky
by acertainphilosophy
Summary: Equestria is faced with yet another threat, dark and dangerous, that dredges up secrets about the royal family and a certain blue pegasus. Really, it should have been obvious. How many rainbow colored manes have you seen?
1. Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash was perched upon a cloud, watching the flock of geese pass overhead in a V, migrating south for the coming winter. The air was calm and frigid, fragile rays of afternoon sunlight poking through the grey layer of clouds that were scheduled to remain for the rest of the week. A short, trailing breeze swept through for a fleeting moment and stirred her multicolored mane. Her feathers were pricked up against the cool autumn air, and she longed to stretch them out and fly. The only thing holding her back were a few words uttered the day before, at Twilight's coronation.

* * *

"We are gathered here today in celebration of a momentous occasion. My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, has done many extraordinary things since she's lived in Ponyville. She even helped reunite me with my sister, Princess Luna," Celestia's regal tone dropped to a tender hum as she spoke her sister's name. The monarchs shared a glance before Celestia's monologue continued. "But today, Twilight Sparkle did something extraordinary. She created new magic, proving without a doubt that she is ready to be crowned Equestria's newest princess. Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

The chorus sang Twilight's graces and she paraded out into the hall, looking magnificent and every bit the princess she now was. Rainbow felt pride well up within her, looking at one of her dearest friends fulfilling her potential and becoming what they always knew she could be. She had no doubt that Twilight would flourish in her new role, and with all of her friends to back her up along the way, she would shine.

Spike brought the crown forward on a little satin pillow, and Rainbow was intrigued but not surprised that it was Twilight's Element. It had always been a crown, right? Perhaps this was destined from the very moment they gained the Elements and defeated Nightmare Moon. A glow enclosed the crown and it was placed on Twilight's mane, securing her with a certain amount of finality into her new royal position. Rainbow swelled with happiness for her friend. She noticed a prickling behind her eyes just in time_. Don't cry, don't cry, be cool…_

Twilight looked shy but accepting, and Rainbow had no doubt that she knew the real weight of that crown. She was a princess now. And as a princess, she looked immediately to her friends, assuring that she still had her head, still was the same Twilight who had learned all those lessons and valued her friends more than anything else. Rainbow winked, and the rest of her friends also reassured Twilight that they would be there for her and were proud of her. Twilight shot them a grateful look before returning to the ceremony. A burst of golden light emanated from her horn, and she looked out at the assembly. This was the final ceremonial event before the speech that Twilight would give to all of Canterlot.

Suddenly, another golden flash came, this time shrouding the entire hall in light. Rainbow recovered, blinking and momentarily stunned. Then she groaned. She'd been caught up in the turmoil of the coronation, and the familiar strobe caught her off guard. The rustling movement of the crowded hall had ceased, the waiting applause didn't come, and the turning Twilight Sparkle had been paralyzed. Rainbow looked to her side and saw Rarity with her eyelashes paused mid-bat, and Pinkie Pie stuck in the air at the height of her bounce. The resounding chorus sang no longer, leaving the hall eerily quiet.

After several heartbeats, a sound in the frozen world made Rainbow jump. A few measured hoofsteps echoed throughout the chamber. Rainbow refused to look to the source of the sound, knowing full well who it was that she shared the moving time with. She was used to these moments of absolute isolation. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground slightly to her right until the moving figure stopped directly in front of her.

"Princess. What do you want," Rainbow deadpanned, less of a question and more an acknowledgment, as she looked up. The most widely recognized and arguably most powerful ruler of Equestria stood before her, with a presence demanding attention. Celestia's face had lost the glow of endearment and pride she'd worn earlier, now revealing a tired and impatient timeworn mare. Somewhere deep in her expression there was old sadness and wisdom, but Rainbow tried actively not to dwell on those parts. The monarch had no need of her empathy.

"Rainbow Dash. Would you please listen to me today? It is important." Celestia's appeal sounded more like a sigh, and it was clear that she was trying to maintain her patience. They'd been through this before. There was an urgency in her tone, however, that drew Rainbow's attention.

"What is it, Your Most Royal Highness?" Rainbow addressed her leader with as much sarcasm laced through her voice as possible.

Celestia finally sighed outright.

"Rainbow, please. This is the only time I can speak with you today, and I'm sure you want to get back to Twilight Sparkle's coronation as well. So listen carefully. Something has… awoken. Its appearance is troubling, and perhaps dangerous. I need you to be careful." Rainbow was taken aback. This was new. The only other time Celestia had been nearly this serious about something had been when she'd warned Rainbow of danger at the royal wedding. She'd been ignorant that time and allowed the Changeling Queen to rise. It was stupid of her to doubt Twilight, and she blamed herself. She wouldn't let that happen again. But wait…

"What do you mean by _me_ needing to be careful? Shouldn't you tell all of us, or more importantly, Twilight? _She's_ the princess now."

"No, this new threat concerns the four royals and you, exclusively, unless we let it grow to be a larger problem. And I _will_ be telling Princess Twilight as well, in private, after the ceremony. The others don't need to worry themselves if we can manage it."

"But Celestia, we can't just leave my friends out of the issue!" Rainbow was nearly yelling now, angered by what Celestia had suggested. She broke her unmoving position and stepped toward the alicorn. "We should stick together when times are hard; we're stronger that way. Didn't Twilight just become a princess for valuing _friendship_ above all else?"

Celestia paused before her retaliation. They were both moving now, walking away from the group of stilled mares and toward the center of the hall.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with leaving them in the dark about your own situation, Rainbow. To your other points, this is a different kind of threat than those you've faced before. Your friends are better kept unaware, at least while they stay in Ponyville." Rainbow processed this, but Celestia continued before she had a chance to voice her questions.

"Now, as for you, you'll need to stay near me while you're in Canterlot, and remain with your friends as you travel to Ponyville. Lock your house up at night. And while I said that your friends should be left out of this, keep them in mind. Think constantly about the good times you've had with them and stay near them. As a final precaution, avoid flying long distances, and being in the air in general," Celestia finished, carefully examining Rainbow's expression. She was waiting to see how she would take these new rules.

To be fair, Rainbow had calmly accepted the list until the last one.

"What?! No _flying?! _That's insane! I can't-"

"You'll do as I say, Rainbow."

Something in the firm, immovable way she said that made Rainbow shut up. Her tone was weighted with steely finality, and it was clear that there would be no compromise on this matter. She must have seen the shock on Rainbow's face, because her eyes softened and her voice adopted its motherly quality.

"It is for the safety of you and your friends. Trust me."

Rainbow turned away, knowing that Celestia would read this as grudging consent and a signal for this conversation to end. Celestia's presence lingered, and she sighed heavily before continuing.

"And would you please-"

"No, Princess. I will not." Rainbow cut her off before she could say it. The harshness of her words sliced through the silent air, and she winced as they echoed with dull resonance. She knew Celestia would just bow her head in that tired, resigned way. The monarch's presence finally retreated from her side.

She stuck to her position, now near the exit from the hall to the balcony, while Celestia took up the pose she held at the head of the ceremony. The golden flash encompassed the assembly, and life returned to the hall. The sudden change from silence was deafening, though it was the same volume as before. Rainbow took a moment to adjust. She looked to her friends, hoping that the excitement would disguise the fact that she had seemingly just vanished and appeared on the other side of the room.

The procession moved out to the terrace, and the masses of Canterlot appeared past the edge of the spindly railing. Rainbow saw her friends move to the entrance of the balcony and followed suit. She was caught in a separate flow of the mass, however, and ended up on the side opposite her friends. _Oh well. At least I got to this point at all. These Canterlot folk aren't as dainty as they make out to be. Especially when moving in mobs_.

She was reminded of the reason she was here at all as Twilight began her speech. Rainbow knew it all, practically word for word at this point. Twilight had practiced it over and over again before the ceremony, staying true to her egghead perfectionist ways.

The pride she'd felt for the purple mare returned full-force as she saw her standing in front of all of Canterlot, addressing them with neither hesitance nor conceit. Then her friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, turned and beckoned for her friends to come forward and share the spotlight. As she continued her speech, she directed it more towards them than the grand crowd behind her. Rainbow felt the prickling again and _darn it_, a wetness met her eyelashes when she tried to blink them away.

Then Twilight was turning back to the horde, and Rainbow realized that she was standing next to Celestia. She glanced up at her, too high on the emotions of the coronation to care about the look that Celestia was giving her. Celestia relocated her gaze to a random place in the crowd and muttered at Rainbow through clenched teeth.

"Smile and wave."

The command was simple and powerful enough for Rainbow to obey immediately. She let a smile take her face and swung her foreleg in a wide rhythmic pattern to the audience below. She let her eyes wander until they met the open, blue skies above. She was already longing for the air.

The end of the ceremony came, and the friends retreated into the castle again. Some mushy congratulations later, Twilight was leading them around the castle grounds. Rainbow reveled in the time they spent together, as friends. She was glad to know that Twilight's duties as princess allowed them to have these moments, where she could enjoy the company of all the ponies she'd grown close to since the Summer Sun Celebration all that time ago.

Twilight flashed them all a genuine smile and opened her wings. Wait… She wasn't going to…

But she was. She took off from the terrace they stood on and flew, _flew_, high above the spired roofs of the castle. Rainbow watched in silent horror as her friend grew smaller and smaller as she soared over all of Canterlot. Her friends stood, or jumped, around her, cheering for Twilight's sudden ascension. Celestia's warning reverberated around her skull, but she could only watch Twilight glide around on her new wings, oblivious to the threat.

Twilight careened to the left at the border of the city and came back in their direction. It was only when she had all four hooves safely on the ground that Rainbow let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

This new rule would be a hard one to follow.

* * *

Rainbow Dash turned over on her cloud. It was a low cumulus, and she hadn't flown more than a few seconds to get there. She'd been playing a sort of game, flying fast for short distances back and forth, never too far from the ground. It made the rule bearable, for the time being. It surely wasn't as bad as having a broken wing and being completely grounded, but somehow the knowledge that she _could_ fly made it all the more tempting to throw herself into the open sky.

The knowledge that Twilight was probably following through on the rule wasn't much help. The newly instated princess had duties to fulfill at the castle and couldn't return to Ponyville for at least a week. She wouldn't be there to remind Dash of the mandate or help her exert any control. With all of her other friends left in the dark about the issue, she was in it alone.

This thought made her groan loudly and shove her face into the white puffs of the cloud. She let her mind go blank as she focused on the texture of it. Cool and soft, like cotton that had been pulled and fluffed by the sky. Okay, maybe poetry wasn't her thing. She tried.

A noise from below distracted her and probably saved her mind from butchering any more words.

"-ash. Rainbow Dash!" A small voice piped from below. Rainbow peered over the side of the cloud and was greeted by two fillies who had definitely not been there before. The little orange pegasus had been the one calling her name.

"Hey. What's up, Scoots?"

"Well I– we just happened to come by and, uh, saw you chillin' over here and wanted to see if you would maybe show us some awesome flying stunts. If that's, y'know, cool with you," she stumbled out. Rainbow smiled at her little fan and sort-of-adopted-sister.

Then she realized what this request implied.

"Uh, oh, sorry girls," she mumbled sheepishly to the girls. Then she winced at her mumbled, sheepish tone.

"Not today. It was a hard day and I've got some serious napping to do. Some very serious hard-core training went on, flying and all that. Yeah. Sorry kiddo," she finished lamely. Scootaloo was a hard one to lie to. Some part of her sank with guilt as the kid just accepted everything she said. Her features melted into disappointment for a brief second, but were quickly righted into a mask of nonchalance.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe some other time, though, right?"

"Sure, Scoots. Hey, you can stick around for a while or whatever, if you want," Rainbow offered. She had to make up for disappointing her somehow.

Scootaloo's face lit up immediately.

"Yes, absolu- I mean, yeah, sure. If that's okay."

"Sure it's okay."

Scootaloo grinned and hovered off the ground, though Rainbow didn't think she was aware of it. The other filly (Rarity's sister… Sweetieblue?) smiled wearily at her friend, clearly used to this sort of behavior.

"Yeah, so, what do you want to talk about?"

Scootaloo seemed to consider the question for all of half a second.

"How about that training you did today? I bet it was awesome! Did you work on the triple-barrel-roll-cloud-spin-supreme-move? Or the daredevil dive of doom?! Or the aileron rolling vapor twist?! Oh oh oh, or a SONIC RAINBOOM?! DidyoudoaSONICRAINBOOM, Rainbow Dash?!" The little pegasus's voice grew with intensity and speed, and she hovered higher and higher off the ground. Rainbow thought she might be at risk of explosion, and intervened.

"Yeah, I did a few things. But what about you? Do anything cool lately?"

The small pegasus froze, dazed from the question.

"Me? Why would _you_ want to hear about _me_ when you're so… so _awesome_?"

"Well, gee, you're pretty awesome yourself, Scoots. I've seen you pull off some pretty nice moves out there on your scooter."

Scootaloo was rendered speechless. Rainbow was concerned that she might've somehow broken her. She was about to say something else to the filly when Sweetieblue started screaming.

"Look! LOOK! Someone's falling!"

Rainbow spun around on the cloud faster than a shot and searched for the source of panic. A multicolored flailing form could be made out in the distance, screaming and breaking through layer after layer of heavy grey cloud.

Rainbow could make it. The nagging voice returned to head. Danger. A threat. She shook her head. This was someone's _life_, someone she had the power to save. Their safety. A larger problem. She had to go. _Now_.

She glanced behind her. Scootaloo's eyes were wide and fearful, her voice beginning to join Sweetie's. That was it. Threat or no threat, she would not let someone die and most certainly would not let Scootaloo witness such a thing.

She was off. The cloud was reduced to vapor as she pushed off of it, and suddenly she was accelerating through the open air. Below the grim determination that fueled her haste, she felt a shred of wild ecstasy from finally flying again. She brushed it off, sickened by the feeling, and moved faster, faster… She wasn't going to make it. No, no, no, she had to make it, she couldn't let that moment of hesitation condemn this mare's life. Pushing harder and harder against what felt like her very limits… All bars were off now. No time for thought, only speed…

Faster…

Faster…

BOOM.

Yes, yes… She surged forward, propelled farther by the Sonic Rainboom and came closer, closer…

The screaming mare landed safely in her outstretched hooves. She was a small pink thing with a yellow, bushy mane and brown aviator goggles resting below a unicorn horn. With further examination, she looked to be not much older than Scootaloo.

Rainbow eased off the speed now that the crisis was under control. She managed a look back and saw a brilliant glowing ring of color just beginning to dissipate into the dreary weather. A vibrant rainbow trailed from the center of the ring to her own backside. It felt like a signature, identifying that it had, indeed, been the sky blue pegasus with the rainbow mane who had caused such a loud and magnificent display to cross the sky.

The little unicorn was now sobbing against Rainbow, squeezing her eyes closed and begging for her mother. Uh oh. Rainbow Dash was not so good with children, and knew even less about mothers. She awkwardly patted the filly's back and told her that she was safe. This appeared to do absolutely nothing but make her sob harder and plead for her mother even more loudly than before.

They finally reached an easy pace where Rainbow could lower them both gently to the ground. She tried to place the filly on the grass in front of her, but the small pony refused to release her hold on Rainbow Dash's neck. Her cries were now reduced to incoherent, jumbled phrases and she was shaking like a leaf.

Rainbow very carefully tried to dislodge the younger pony and began thinking about what was to be done next. Surely she would have a parent or something nearby, right? Although, now that she thought about it, it was strange for a unicorn to be falling from the sky in the first place. No, it wasn't strange. It was flat out bizarre.

The filly worked herself up again and became louder, bringing Rainbow back to the problem at hand.

"Hey, kid, you got any folks around?"

The child quieted and looked up at her rescuer for the first time.

"M-maybe," she hiccupped. "Where am I?"

Rainbow wasn't questioning anything at this point and gave her an immediate response.

"In the outskirts of Ponyville. To the west."

"Really? Oh, wow. No, my parents aren't near here. I live in Canterlot, lower city."

Rainbow groaned internally at the mention of Equestria's capital. Then she processed what had been said.

"You came from Canterlot? What are you doing here, then? And in the sky?"

"Well it's actually a really funny story-"

"You could get off me before telling it."

The young mare realized the position she was in around Rainbow's neck and released quickly, blushing.

"So," she cleared her throat. "I was sleeping in my room when my mom burst in, yelling for me to get up. She said that blah bla da da doo,"

The filly's talking faded into a fluctuating hum in the background. Rainbow would've liked to listen to the story, really, but something caught her attention from the corner of her vision.

Far out, near the edge of the horizon, a strange black cloud was forming. Now Rainbow Dash was a weather pony. She grew up in Cloudsdale. She'd been around clouds her whole life. But she'd never seen a weather pattern like this before, this deep black bubbling brew in the sky that sucked in all the light around it. And it was growing, getting closer. Celestia's warning popped into her head.

Run.

She swept the little pony from the ground and took off, as far and fast as she could after exerting herself in the last rescue attempt. The filly's confused shouts barely registered in her panicked state.

Panic? Would the great Rainbow Dash panic? The thought ran circles in the undertones of her mind, like always. Checking to make sure that the way she was acting matched up with the image of the perfect way to be. And yes, this situation definitely merited panic. The clouds were gaining on them at incredible speed.

Two little dots came into view, orange and white. Scootaloo.

Buck.

She dove, aiming for the general area of the two. The air swept through her mane even faster in the downward spiral. Looking back for a second, nearly facehoofed. The familiar colorful trail swept behind them like a beacon. Pointing out their location as effectively as a giant neon sign.

Buck.

She landed about four feet from Scootaloo with a bang, a small indentation left on the ground there. There was no time. She brushed the questioning yells aside and kept moving. The clouds were drawing nearer. Hadn't Celestia said something, anything useful during that time? Maybe…

Maybe it would only target her. She could hope. Without pause, she took off again. The wind tore harshly at her feathers and her mane, the air felt cold as it drew in and out of her lungs. She looked around and was relieved to see the clouds following. Her wings pumped faster, harder. She would lead it away from the ponies, and hopefully it would turn out okay.

Rainbow raced northward, in a direct line between the threat and Ponyville. The black clouds were stewing closer and closer, now the size of an Ursa Major but tilted decidedly in her direction. Clearly they wanted to get to her. And she really didn't want to find out what would happen if they did.

So her wings pumped harder, fighting against exhaustion. With everything going on she really hadn't flown like this for a while, even before the coronation. She felt it. Her muscles worked past even the burn of overuse and she was slowing down more and more noticeably.

From below, it looked astonishing. The giant mass of inky black swarmed up from the horizon and filled every edge of sight. The oppressing image was broken by a thin rainbow trail, bright and pure, darting around in random patterns before the titan that filled the sky. Every few seconds the two would clash and send an outward blast of black streaked rainbow smoke from the collision. It would be obvious, to any onlooker that the little rainbow would soon be taken over by the darkness.

The gap between Rainbow and the menace went down from forty feet to thirty, then fifteen, and at that point she could feel something past her fading nerves. The clouds emanated a cold, empty sadistic air that filled every pore and crevice. Surely it was from this terror that nightmares were born. She could see, too, that the bubbling texture of the mass had been given from hundreds of moving creatures that were better described as disfigured shapes. All of them black as night, surging in and out of the heavy fog of the cloud, all in agony.

Rainbow Dash let the terror carry her farther rather than stopping her in her tracks. It could've fallen either way, really, and Rainbow was glad for a moment that she was able to push on. Any such notion was quickly terminated.

The clouds swept into her peripheral vision. The cold feeling she'd felt earlier couldn't compare to what saturated the air now. Absolute agony, despair, longing, hunger… the frigid sadism reigned among them all. The want to hurt, to destroy, to feast on the pain of others. The darkness was surrounding her.

Rainbow Dash screamed. Not from fear, not from torment. She was completely enraged. How dare these stupid clouds. They were binding her wings to her back, seizing control of her emotions. It was idiotic that they should try to stop her.

The more she screamed, the clouds seemed to recede. Just a little.

It was then that the pain started. Like shards of glass breaking through every pore and burning, terrible frostbite cold in between. Her vision flickered. The darkness around her and the black outs merged and she couldn't tell which was which anymore. Suddenly, a blinding light. And she was falling.

Then everything was black.

**-philos**


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

"Will she be alright?"

"We'll have to wait and see. We won't know anything until someone comes out and tells us,"

"I just don't understand why something like this has happened. Our dear Rainbow Dash in such a condition! Are you sure that you aren't partial to any information, Twilight? You do seem awfully tense."

Twilight jumped at Rarity's question. Of course she knew some of what was going on. As soon as the princess told her about the threat, she'd had Spike put researching it ahead all other princessly duties. She still hadn't found much. And in the little information she had managed to gather, nothing gave her any explanation as to why Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, had been attacked. It was bewildering to say the least.

Even more bewildering was the fact that Princess Celestia was now in Ponyville Hospital and completely ignoring her. She and Rarity had been pushed off to the waiting room while Rainbow, six medical staff, and the princess were holed up in the emergency room doing who knows what for the past twenty minutes.

Twilight had a feeling that their wait had just barely begun.

"Twilight! I hate to interrupt whatever daydream may be running rampant in your head, but I would like an answer! Do you know anything about this?"

Twilight blushed and looked apologetically to her friend. She had delayed her response longer than she realized with her thought tangent.

"Well, not really, no." Twilight's new wings ruffled uncomfortably. She hoped this would satisfy the white mare. It did, for the time being.

"I suppose it will take a while for any information to come to us. Hospitals are notorious for that sort of thing. I do hope she will be alright. When are the other three going to get here? We sent Spike to get them as soon as we arrived… How long has it been now? An hour? Ugh, this place needs to get a timepiece. What sort of waiting room doesn't have a clock?"

Rarity continued talking, but Twilight had stopped listening when she realized that her friend was just filling the empty air. She was grateful for the relief from the deafening silence.

What could Celestia be doing? Surely she had come because of the threat, but why would she hole herself up into the ER without so much as acknowledging her student? Administering a remedy of some sort? The research she'd done hadn't indicated anything like that existing. And they still had no idea what was happening outside of the hospital. She had only seen the barest trace of the thing by the time she and Rarity arrived after Sweetiebell and Scootaloo came to them for help.

And really, they had no idea what was happening inside the hospital, either.

Her train of thought was abruptly brought to a screaming halt and crash when a certain cotton-candy based bouncing mare burst into the small room.

"Whatsgoingonohmygosh isDashieokay?!" Pinkie Pie's verbal eruption took a moment for the stunned mares to decipher and respond to.

"Er, well, we don't really know, Pinkie. You'll have to wait with us to find out."

This route was immediately recognized as a mistake. Pinkie's eyes widened a considerable amount.

"Wait? WAIT? Where is she we have to find out what's wrong and give her our support because she probably needs us and why are you just sitting there we have to help Dashie now!"

Pinkie Pie flew around the room, seemingly looking for the pegasus, and her words poured out at supersonic speeds. She finally found the door to the ER and Twilight and Rarity had to intervene.

"It's alright, Pinkie. Really. Rainbow Dash will be okay, Celestia's even in there now to help. The best way we can help now is to let them do what they do."

Twilight and Pinkie held a stare for a few heartbeats of silence.

"Aaalrighty then. We'll help by waiting here! And Dashie can come out when they're done and we can have another 'Welcome Back from the Hospital Rainbow Dash' party again!"

"Sure, Pinkie."

With that, Pinkie Pie turned about face to the door and sat down with a serious expression on her face. An oddly appropriate gesture, considering the wait they were in for.

Twilight looked on, resuming silence, and tried to imagine again what on earth could be going on past the closed door of the emergency room. Celestia…

Rarity began fidgeting and Twilight knew by now that this was a sign that she was getting ready to say something. She readied herself for conversation, not wanting to be caught in the middle of her thoughts again. The white unicorn shifted her weight several more times before she started.

"Ooh, Twilight, I am getting so very worried," she rattled out quickly. She took a steadying breath before she continued. Twilight noted in sympathy the stress that her friend was in.

"But Applejack and Fluttershy still haven't come and we have no idea what is going on outside. I-I just want to know if they are alright," she paused, and continued in a bare whisper, "I just want to know what's happening, Twilight. And you always seem to have the answers."

She looked as though she was going to continue, but decided against it. She shook her head and sat down, clearly unwilling to speak any more. Twilight felt guilty for not speaking to Rarity more about the situation, but she knew that it would cause more problems than it would fix if she did. So she dealt with the heavy feeling in her chest and looked away in silence.

It was also interesting that while she had been pondering the happenings inside the hospital walls, the other unicorn was thinking about outside. It was difficult, not knowing anything about the state of their friends or the rest of Ponyville, for that matter. For all they knew, the threat could've come back and destroyed everything in Equestria and left the hospital alone untouched.

Twilight shuddered and pushed this thought to the recesses of her mind. It terrified her to think that way, but the thought couldn't be waved away now that it'd formed. She knew that the possibility would remain there indefinitely, because Equestria's existence would always be something she cared about and always something that could be quite feasibly taken away.

A loud _bang_ broke the silence of the room.

Twilight jumped and her head swiveled to see what had caused it. The door. The outside door.

Applejack and Fluttershy burst into the room in a barrage of orange, yellow and pink, followed shortly after by Spike. The both of them searched the room frantically upon entrance, Applejack looking rather pissed off and Fluttershy with tears in her eyes.

"Applejack! Fluttersh-hy!" Rarity choked out in sobbing jubilance. She ran forward and pulled them both into an embrace, which was slowly met and returned.

"We-We're sorry we're late," Applejack started, pulling away from Rarity. "But we got tied up out there. It's a real madhouse in the streets, ponies runnin' around and talkin' about strange clouds and rainbows. Mostly they're a hollerin' about some explosions in the sky," Applejack finished, cooling off and looking more anxious.

The four of them stood in a circle now, Fluttershy and Applejack explaining how Ponyville had broken out into madness after seeing a mass of darkness cover the western half of the sky and hearing explosions, which Twilight figured were Sonic Rainbooms, coming from the same direction. They ran amok in the streets, making them nearly inaccessible. It had been a battle to get all the way from Sweet Apple Acres to the hospital doors, after Spike came and told them to go there because 'Rainbow was hurt'.

Rarity changed from sympathetic to aghast fittingly, and Twilight in turn explained to them what little they knew about what was happening inside the hospital.

"So," Twilight finished, exhausted. "That's it then. Now all there is for us to do is wait."

Fluttershy chuckled lightly, "I think Pinkie's got that part down." She motioned to the unnaturally still pink pony still stationed at the door, who had been undeterred from her task throughout the reunion.

"Let's leave her be," Twilight interposed. "It's going to be a long wait."

**-philos**


	3. Chapter 3

It was nighttime in Ponyville. The streets were finally clear of the day's panicked throng, the birds no longer sang, and the cool winds of autumn blew gently across the town. The skies were clear and made a perfect stage for the brilliantly shining moon, surrounded by its entourage of stars. The little pinpricks of silver twinkled in appreciation for the cool calmness of the night. It had been dark for a long while, but the light of dawn was nowhere in sight.

Celestia looked from the small emergency room window. The scene that lain beyond the glass held several more layers of meaning for the alicorn than it would to any casual observer. She knew what it meant for the sky to be clear, what it meant for the moon to be raised, what it meant for the stars to shine.

The princess also knew how drastically different a view it was from what it had been a mere half day past.

She retreated from the minute frame to the innards of the room. It was a small space, but then it was also a small hospital and a small town. She really could never decide if she liked the quaint nature of the little community. She most definitely did not feel at home here, but she supposed that, in a different life, the setting would have suited her. Yes, if she were not what she was, who she was… This was where she would've wanted to live.

But she was a princess. She could not daydream this way, no. Her nation needed her to have her heart fully into her role as their leader, nothing less. She had already sacrificed so much for the good of Equestria, and she would not let those sacrifices be wasted in consequence of simple thought.

She resumed the position she'd held before she left to look outside, kneeling by the bedside of Rainbow Dash. The little blue pegasus was still unconscious, and even though she knew that this was expected and would last several more hours if not days, the sight made her feel uncomfortable.

It hurt to see the brash, adventurous mare limp and unmoving, wings and forehead bandaged heavily. Even worse was the guilt. She should have known that something like this would happen, _she should have known_, and she should have taken the appropriate precautions. But she hadn't. She'd been too preoccupied with protecting the castle, protecting the borders, too blinded by her own aggravation with the mare.

Her eyes softened. When she had first seen Rainbow there, it horrified her. She'd run to the side of the bed, the doctors still positioning her on the cheap hospital fabric. The sight of her there, it made the princess lose her grip on her feelings. A torrent of them whirled around inside her; anger, sadness, sympathy, fear. It took all of her centuries of experience to reign them in. She wasn't able to face her student, now her companion in ruling order, whom she knew was just outside the door.

She wondered briefly about whether the friends were still waiting in the adjacent room, but knew immediately that they were. Though none of them possessed the element itself, they all had an admirable capacity for loyalty.

That train of thought brought her mind back to Rainbow. The pegasus was sleeping peacefully, curled up on her back. Her wings spread out on either side, feathers twitching from time to time. A light snore accompanied the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Celestia was thankful for the tranquil mood. In the first few hours after surgery and patching up the wounds, she'd been sleeping with a knit brow and wet eyelashes, thrashing about with the little strength she had left. It had been one of the most difficult things that Celestia had ever had to see.

When she was still and calm, Rainbow looked small, almost diminutive. Without the tough bravado to cover her, she was only a tiny thing that looked unable to protect herself, let alone a group of friends. How had she even made it this far?

Even worse, how had Celestia been able to give them all those life-threatening missions to begin with?

No, she knew why. It was because she trusted their strength, their friendship, their courage. It wasn't as if they were helpless, either. Everyone in the group had their own unique assets and skill sets that proved to be valuable and useful each time they were put to the test. They were strong. And that included Rainbow Dash.

The doctor was back now, probably from a coffee break after working for twelve hours straight. He had an apparent internal struggle deciding whether or not to approach her. His nervousness won out on him, though, and he turned away. Celestia was disappointed by his lack of character. She'd seen the man work ceaselessly through the operation, performing beautifully under the stress. After seeing that side of him, this was disillusioning to her.

He moved on to the waiting room door. He stood beside it for a second, looking for her permission. She gave it. He opened the door.

A pink fluffy-maned mare fell out onto the blue tile floor of the ER, fully passed out. Not for long, though. She bounced up upon contact with the floor, eyes wide and searching.

"RAINBOW DAASH!" Her shout filled the room and made everyone inside cringe to varying degrees. She bounced around in that erratic way of hers, somehow getting to every corner of the room before appearing at the bedside. While she stood there, now unsure of what to do with the unresponsive pegasus, the other four filtered in.

Twilight was the last to enter, but a look of physical relief crossed her every feature when her eyes met Celestia's. She was still confused, but her teacher was there so everything would have to be fine.

Celestia gave her a reassuring glance, and both their eyes shifted to the comatose mare on the hospital bed. Rainbow Dash was now the center of attention.

"Is she- Is she going to be alright?"

Rarity had asked this question countless times during their extensive wait, but this was the first time it carried any real meaning. The silence was deafening.

Finally, after several heartbeats too many, Celestia answered.

"Yes. Yes, she's-" She stopped suddenly, making five pairs of eyes snap up to look at her. Waiting for an explanation. It was time to give them one. Celestia sighed.

**-philos**


End file.
